By the mid-1520s, however, the violent disturbances associated with the Reformation put an end to this productivity. Religious paintings were viewed with disfavour and Holbein decided to look for work in England. The choice of England was perhaps encouraged by Erasmus, and his portraits of Erasmus form the prelude to the humanist portraits of Holbein's first English period.
A handful of portraits is all that remains of Holbein's first English period: the portraits of Sir Thomas More, William Warham, Unknown Lady with a Squirrel and a Starling, Nicholas Kratzer, Sir Henry and Lady Guildford, the double portrait of Sir Thomas Godsalve and his son John. His most remarkable work was a large group portrait of Sir Thomas More's family, which has since been destroyed.
Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 18 minutes): George Frideric Handel: Fireworks Music |
Summary of paintings by Hans Holbein the Younger |
1515-19 | 1519-25 | altarpieces | 1526-28 | 1529-31 |
1532-35 | Ambassadors | Henry VIII and his family | 1536-43 |
drawings and woodcuts | miniatures | Miscellaneous works |